Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated one of the biggest and most awaited infrastructure projects in the southern state of Kerala.

The 13-kilometer-long Kochi Metro, which was built at a cost of Rs5,181 crore will have a total of 22 stations, with 11 stations in the first phase, running from Palarivattom to Aluva.

Kochi is the eight Indian city to have a metro service after New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Chennai.

But the Kochi Metro has quite a number of firsts to its credit. Here are some of the features that will make the Kochi Metro stand out. It is the first metro in India to have an integrated multi-mode transport system with rail, road and water connectivity. There is also a ‘water metro’ a ferry service which will connect 10 islands in Kochi with the metro. The first phase of the 76-km ‘Water Metro’ is likely to be operational by 2019.

Kochi Metro is the first to use Communication Based Train Control technology which will help in having maximum frequencies and minimal errors.

With an aim to go green, all the metro station rooftops are fitted with solar panels and is capable of producing around 2.3 MW of power, the long-term plan is to meet as much as half of its electricity demands through solar power.